Technology Trader

The Price of Mending a Broken Heart

MEDICAL DEVICES CAN DO A LOT for the weak-hearted. Studies in recent months have shown that a jolt from an implanted defibrillator can ward off sudden death for people with serious heart problems. In March, a Medtronic-backed study showed that implanting a defibrillator reduced deaths by 23% among those prone to deadly heart arrhythmias. On Thursday, researchers reported that Guidant implants could reduce the risk of death or hospitalization by 34% among patients getting drug treatment for heart failure -- a condition in which...